Traditional Lifestyle of the Indigenous Population of the Khabarovsk Krai as a Factor Determining the Spread of Helminth Infections

Abstract

Introduction: Supporting health and wellbeing of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North is one of the priorities of the regional policy in the Khabarovsk Krai. The centuries-long adaptation of the population to local conditions has created a unique system of the traditional use of natural resources and the most efficient forms and types of households. Despite all globalization processes, fishing, hunting and gathering remain essential elements of the lifestyle of northern indigenous peoples. Against the natural background, specific features of their behavior and nutrition create optimal conditions for helminth life cycles and intense transmission of endemic helminth infections. Objective: To assess effects of the traditional lifestyle of the indigenous population of the Khabarovsk Krai as a factor responsible for the spread of larval helminthiasis and endemic trematode infections. Materials and methods: In 2010–2020, questionnaire-based surveys were conducted and feces samples were collected from Nanai people in the villages of Dada, Sikachi-Alyan, Sinda, and Naikhin and from Udege people in the villages of Gvasyugi and Arsenyevo during expeditions. Results: Endemic trematode eggs were detected in stool samples from all the villages. Clonorchis sinensis eggs were detected in the samples from Dada, Sinda, and Sikachi-Alyan, while Nanophyetus salmincola schikhobalowi eggs were found in the dwellers of Arsenyevo and Gvasyugi. Metagonimus spp. eggs were also detected in isolated cases. The results of sero-epidemiological survey indicate a high frequency of contacts with Toxocara roundworms in all areas and with tapeworms of the Echinococcus type in the traditional villages located in forest areas. Conclusion: Original lifestyle and dietary habits of indigenous peoples in the Khabarovsk Krai pose a high risk of trematode infections (clonorchiasis, nanophietiasis, metagonimiasis) and larval helminthiasis (echinococcosis, toxocarosis). In combination with poor awareness of the population of appropriate preventive measures, this risk contributes to high incidence and prevalence rates of helminthiases in all surveyed national villages.